A 2014 perspective on using Awards/Badges for backlinks?

[ExperienceOz]

Hi all,

Just wanted to get a modern-day perspective on this tactic as a method of obtaining back links. We've recently (legitimately) polled our customer base both on social media and through our email database (40,000+ people) to rank a bunch of different locations / attractions and put together Top 10 lists based on the results. I was intending to put together "awards" badges and provide them to the operators who won along with a back link from the badge to the main article page with the finalists.

I thought I'd ask here though to see what public opinion is on this as a link building tactic in 2014 as all the resources I could find were a couple of years old. Bear in mind we aren't paying them anything at all, but it is still an obvious attempt to both give them their recognition as well as add to our link profile.

Do you think in this day and age that this kind of action would invoke any Google penalties? And if not, is there any indication why they wouldn't pass as much juice as regular text links?

Thanks for any and all feedback.

[SamuelScott]

The prevailing view, in my opinion, is that no one should do anything for the sole purpose of getting links. Google is increasingly getting smarter and seeing through tactics such as widgets and awards banners.

First, review Google's rules on link schemes. Second, see that Google recommends that webmasters add rel=nofollow attributes to links within widgets that other websites use. (I'd also include award graphics and banners.) Third, see this Moz post on "Widgetbait Gone Wild."

What I would say is that you should give awards first to reward other quality websites and promote awareness of your website. Don't do it directly to get links. Make the links within the badgets nofollow. If you promote and PR your contest and awards in the right way, you'll get a lot of referral traffic from the links along with possible mentions of you by other websites and bloggers who will give you (dofollow!) links naturally by themselves when they write about you.

This is earning links the right way -- not building them. It is more difficult and takes more time -- but it's much more worthwhile in the end. Don't do some BS awards to get links. Make it a real, noteworthy award that is worthy of getting coverage by others. Be newsworthy -- see a Moz post of mine on using PR to earn links. Good luck!